When voters returned Harvey Johnson Jr. to City Hall four years ago, it was largely due to the need for someone who could restore normalcy and protocol to city government.

Johnson represented the safe choice four years ago, and he told voters that he had learned a valuable lesson after being defeated in 2005. He vowed that he would listen more, that he would have a more open administration and that he would work diligently to build coalitions.

But in many ways, at the end of what is his third term, we can't see much of a difference between the Mayor Johnson of 2013 and the Mayor Johnson of 2005.

In 2005, the city called out for change, and we called out for change with them. We endorsed Frank Melton and put our faith in a change agent who would bring new life to City Hall and restore faith lost by the business community. In the end, Melton was a bad choice.

Now, eight years later, the city is calling out for change again, and so are we. But this time, we are calling for Johnson to undertake that change.

Johnson has a closed administration that is loathe to share information with the media, with the public or even with the members of the city council. This kind of secrecy is an affront to our democratic way of life - not to mention to the voters who have selected councilmen to represent their interests in the city.

Johnson's micro-management of city affairs has made efficient progress an elusive accomplishment. During our editorial board meeting, Johnson admitted that he has micro-management tendencies, explaining that he feels he is best suited to handle certain things. But that's not the trait of a good leader. If the mayor does not feel he has competent people who are well suited to handle the day-to-day operations of certain projects, then he needs to hire new people.

The mayor is not a city manager; he is a CEO. Johnson needs to start acting like it.The place to start is the police department. While the mayor may deny it, a morale problem exists. Not only have we heard it from other candidates, we have heard it from members of the department as well. Johnson needs to address the problems within the department's command structure and then step away and allow the police command structure to lead the department.

But despite our concerns, we have two overriding reasons for believing Johnson is the best choice.

First, he inherited a city government in turmoil after four years of Melton. Johnson deserves a lot of credit for putting the city back on an even keel. It was a tremendous task, we feel sure, and that's why we can hardly blame him for returning to old, familiar and trusted ways of operating.

But now that the ship is righted, we need Johnson to be the captain, not a lieutenant.The second reason is that Johnson is honestly the only candidate who we feel is both capable and fully prepared to be mayor.

We were impressed with Jonathan Lee and his command of the issues facing the city. His plans to build stronger relationships with the business community are essential, both to retain existing businesses and to lure new businesses.

We believe that Regina Quinn has the background and ability to put together a team that could move projects forward. Her work as an attorney and at Jackson State University shows that she knows how to not only build coalitions but also work with a team to accomplish big things.

Councilmen Chockwe Lumumba and Frank Bluntson both have strong ideas about how best to build stronger communities, improve the city's relationship with Jackson Public Schools and address the needs of youth. Their passion for the city and its people is impressive.

However, our reservations over each outweigh our frustrations with Johnson.Lee's inexperience and naivete, Quinn's lack of a handle on details and her bankruptcies, Lumumba's polarizing past and Bluntson's inability to offer concrete plans all led us to the conclusion that Johnson is the right choice on Tuesday.Johnson is a determined, intelligent and well-intentioned mayor. He has served with integrity. We appreciate these traits in him.

We endorse Harvey Johnson Jr. in the Democratic Party primary for mayor.

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Email this article

Endorsement: Johnson for Jackson mayor

When voters returned Harvey Johnson Jr. to City Hall four years ago, it was largely due to the need for someone who could restore normalcy and protocol to city government.Johnson represented the safe